His life was at least as mysterious as his art. Even the year of John Anster Christian Fitzgerald's birth fluctuates between 1819 and 1823. At least his birthplace, Lambeth in south London, seems beyond doubt. His parents were from Ireland, and his father, William Thomas Fitzgerald was a rather unknown poet. Which was more than could be said for his son. The genre in which Fitzgerald's art moved was literally fairy tales. He was a fairy painter and was given the name "Fairy Fitzgerald." Elves, fairies, ghosts, demons, little gnomes, goblins and oversized animal figures dominated the scene. Fitting for the Victorian era of art, where mythical figures and portraiture came into focus. Just the right subject for Fitzgerald. He seems to have been self-taught, for there is no mention anywhere of study or teachers.
His highly original fairy tale, dream and fantasy scenes almost never referred to literary themes. Many of his works, on the other hand, are strongly reminiscent of the surreal depictions of an Pieter Brueghel and HHieronymus Bosch.More than once, one suspected that his artworks were created under the influence of drugs. In particular, the two paintings "The Pipe Dream" and "The Captive Dreamer" fuel the suspicion that Fitzgerald was familiar with opium dens. This would not be surprising, since drugs were firmly entrenched in everyday life in the 19th century, including Victorian life. Even if he painted his pictures in a drugged stupor, that doesn't change his genius; perhaps the drugs made that genius possible. In any case, the Royal Academy of Arts in London didn't mind and exhibited his paintings, as did the British Institution, the Society of British Artist, and the Royal Watercolour Society. And he successfully painted a whole series of Christmas fairies for the Illustrated London News. In 1902 Fitzgerald exhibited his last work at the Royal Academy, a painting of Alice in Wonderland.
Fitzgerald lived a very reclusive life and had virtually no contact with other artists. He married Mary Ann Barr in 1849 and had four sons and two daughters with her. But he was always drawn away from the hearth at home. He only felt really at home in the famous London Savage Club, a typical British gentlemen's club that still exists today. After his death, Fitzgerald's club mates remembered how he imitated actors of the time, such as Charles Kemble or William Charles Macready, a well-known Shakespearean actor, with great pleasure and talent. Unsurprisingly, his last wish was as whimsical as the artist himself. He wanted to die at his beloved Savage Club, and in his last days came every Saturday in "joyful" anticipation. But he missed the fulfillment of his heart's desire by three or four days. At the age of 87, a headstrong man and gifted painter passed away in 1906.
His life was at least as mysterious as his art. Even the year of John Anster Christian Fitzgerald's birth fluctuates between 1819 and 1823. At least his birthplace, Lambeth in south London, seems beyond doubt. His parents were from Ireland, and his father, William Thomas Fitzgerald was a rather unknown poet. Which was more than could be said for his son. The genre in which Fitzgerald's art moved was literally fairy tales. He was a fairy painter and was given the name "Fairy Fitzgerald." Elves, fairies, ghosts, demons, little gnomes, goblins and oversized animal figures dominated the scene. Fitting for the Victorian era of art, where mythical figures and portraiture came into focus. Just the right subject for Fitzgerald. He seems to have been self-taught, for there is no mention anywhere of study or teachers.
His highly original fairy tale, dream and fantasy scenes almost never referred to literary themes. Many of his works, on the other hand, are strongly reminiscent of the surreal depictions of an Pieter Brueghel and HHieronymus Bosch.More than once, one suspected that his artworks were created under the influence of drugs. In particular, the two paintings "The Pipe Dream" and "The Captive Dreamer" fuel the suspicion that Fitzgerald was familiar with opium dens. This would not be surprising, since drugs were firmly entrenched in everyday life in the 19th century, including Victorian life. Even if he painted his pictures in a drugged stupor, that doesn't change his genius; perhaps the drugs made that genius possible. In any case, the Royal Academy of Arts in London didn't mind and exhibited his paintings, as did the British Institution, the Society of British Artist, and the Royal Watercolour Society. And he successfully painted a whole series of Christmas fairies for the Illustrated London News. In 1902 Fitzgerald exhibited his last work at the Royal Academy, a painting of Alice in Wonderland.
Fitzgerald lived a very reclusive life and had virtually no contact with other artists. He married Mary Ann Barr in 1849 and had four sons and two daughters with her. But he was always drawn away from the hearth at home. He only felt really at home in the famous London Savage Club, a typical British gentlemen's club that still exists today. After his death, Fitzgerald's club mates remembered how he imitated actors of the time, such as Charles Kemble or William Charles Macready, a well-known Shakespearean actor, with great pleasure and talent. Unsurprisingly, his last wish was as whimsical as the artist himself. He wanted to die at his beloved Savage Club, and in his last days came every Saturday in "joyful" anticipation. But he missed the fulfillment of his heart's desire by three or four days. At the age of 87, a headstrong man and gifted painter passed away in 1906.
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